The facility was constructed in 1977 during the
Siad Barre administration, with the assistance of Chinese engineers. Although Mogadishu Stadium was mainly used for hosting sporting activities, presidential addresses and political rallies were also held there. The first game ever held at the stadium occurred soon after construction completed during 1978 between the Somali national team and a Chinese club Leonen. In 1987, the popular singer
Magool staged the famous "Mogadishu and Magool" concert at basketball hall (adjacent to football stadium) which is part of this wide sports facility/village. It was among the largest such musical events held at the time, with thousands of people in attendance.
Civil War Following the start of the
civil war in the early 1990s, the stadium was used as a base by various armed factions. A few football matches from that period were intermittently staged, but the facility remained under the control of militants. During
UNOSOM II, American and Pakistani forces used the stadium as a base and caused significant damage. Following the UN withdrawal in 1995, the
Somali Football Federation repaired most of the destruction and games resumed. During the
2007–2009 occupation of Mogadishu, the
Ethiopian National Defence Force used the stadium as a military base. In those two years Ethiopian troops caused far more damage to the structure than the American and Pakistani UNOSOM forces based there over a decade earlier. When Ethiopian troops withdrew in January 2009, more than 50% of the stadium was destroyed. In the months following,
Al-Shabaab seized control of the stadium and used it as a base of operations. When the group laid siege to much of Mogadishu and other southern areas in 2008, it prohibited sporting activities.
Reconstruction In 2013, the newly established famous
Federal Government of Somalia began renovating the stadium in conjunction with Chinese officials. By 2015, the artificial turf had been refurbished. The stadium also began again serving as one of the main sporting venues in the capital for
Somali League football matches. ==Renovations==